Grant benefits Hawaiian students

A native Hawaiian civic affairs project at the University of Hawaii at Manoa was awarded $1.3 million over the next three years by the U.S. Department of Education.

The project, the Kiwila Civics Curricula Project, was developed by UH-Manoa's College of Education's Center on Disability Studies.

The money will be used to develop programs that provide supplemental services and civics curricula for native Hawaiian students.

The project also attempts to meet the special needs of native Hawaiian students with disabilities, and develop courses that incorporate Hawaiian traditions.

Three Big Island schools with high percentages of native Hawaiian students were selected for the pilot program: Keaukaha Elementary School, Hilo Intermediate School and Hilo High School. Additional schools with high concentrations of native Hawaiian students will be included for field testing as the curriculum is developed.

The grant is part of $1.6 million given to nearly two dozen native Hawaiian education programs in the state, according to a news release from the university.